BofA Maintains Buy on Eli Lilly (LLY), Expects 2027 Earnings to Fully Realize Value of Obesity Drug Launches

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is one of the best growth stocks to buy in 2026. On December 15, Bank of America analyst Jason Gerberry lowered the firm’s price target on Eli Lilly to $1,268 from $1,286 with a Buy rating on the shares. BofA remains bullish on Eli Lilly’s stock due to the company’s successful obesity product launches and the steady expansion of its pipeline into new therapeutic areas. 2027 projected earnings are expected to better capture the company’s long-term growth potential.

In other news, on December 12, Eli Lilly and Company announced updated results from the Phase 3 EMBER-3 study for Inluriyo (imlunestrant), which is an oral estrogen receptor antagonist. The data highlighted the efficacy of Inluriyo both as a standalone treatment and in combination with Verzenio (abemaciclib) for patients with ER+, HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose disease progressed after prior endocrine therapy.

In patients with ESR1-mutated disease, imlunestrant monotherapy showed a clinically meaningful 38% reduction in the risk of progression or death. The combination of imlunestrant plus abemaciclib yielded even more robust results across the broader patient population. Safety profiles remained consistent with previous reports, with no new signals identified during this additional year of follow-up.

Lilly has already submitted the combination data for US regulatory review in ESR1-mutated metastatic breast cancer. Additionally, imlunestrant is being studied in the EMBER-4 trial, which has enrolled ~8,000 patients to investigate its potential in the adjuvant setting for early breast cancer.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals in the US, Europe, China, Japan, and internationally.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.